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April 27, 1926. 1,582,095

H. A. SYMES ET AL MEANS FOR SECURING OR COUPLING THE ENDS OF FENCINQWIRE AND THE LIKE Filed Mar'oh 27, 1925 Ham' AlbcrT 5 me$ vl ncenf GobrLel sjmes INVENTORS Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,532,095 PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ALBERT SYMES AND VINCENT -GABRIEL SYIMIES, OFFAIRLIE, NEW ZEALAND.

MEANS FOR SECURING OR CQUPLING THE ENDS OF FENCING WIRES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 27, 1925. SerialNo. 18,781.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that HEN Y ALBERT SYMES and VINCENT GABRIEL SYMEs, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Ashwick Flat, Fairlie, South Canterbury, New Zealand, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Securing or Coupling the Ends of Fencing ires and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has as its object to proride improved means which will enable the ends of wire used in fencing and the like to be secured after it has been strained on the fence.

In the means hitherto generally in use the wire is generally knotted together after bein strained. It is well known that the. weak spots in a wire fence after being strained are the knots in a wire and especially so where steel wire is used, which is the case in high country, owing to the cost of carriages, and in such country and in other places where extremes of temperature are experienced the wire is very apt to break at the knottings thereby causing considerable trouble.

By this invention, the ordinary knottings are eliminated, only one large knot being employed in coupling in one, form of the invention, while in other forms no knot-s at all need be employed. Furthermore in another form the means employed enable the wires to beheld together in a substantially straight line and thus as strong as a continuous wire. The coupling means provided by this invention are furthermore of considerable assist ance in erecting fences wherein wire netting is used in conjunction with wire. Where standards sink and wire is slackened it is not (when this invention is used) necessary as a rule to cut the-wire as has been usually the case heretofore in order to tighten it.

The invention broadly comprises the provision of a coupling member provided with means to receive slidably the ends of one or both of the wires which it is desired to couple together, means being provided to jamb or wedge one or both of said ends to such member. As an alternative in one form only one on d of a wire is wedged to said member, the

end of the other wire being passed through retaining means in said member, and then doubled back on itself and secured to. said member by a large loop or hook made on said end.

A. preferred embodiment of the inve ion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 shows a. view of the cou phng in use in conjunction with awire strainer, Figure 2 shows a coupling with one horizontal hole and the end of one wire, looped back through the hole and twisted on the same wire, Figure 3 shows a coupling with a vertical hole and the end of one wire looped back through the hole and twisted on the same wire, Figure 4 shows a coupling in section with two vertical holes and the end of one wire attached by bending through these holes without looping or twisting, Figure 5 shows a coupling with two horizontal holes andthe end of one wire attached by bending through these holes without looping or twisting. I J

The coupling member 1' is preferably L shaped with a slotted hole 2 in its vertical arm formed preferably with a V grip 3 into which the fencing wire t is pressed tightly by a wedge 5 provided with serrations 6 and having ahole 7 in its narrow end to take a split pin 8 for preventing wedge 5 from becoming separated from the coupling 1nember 1.

In the horizontal arm of couplingmember 1 in one form of the invention there is a hole 9 in horizontalposition, see Figure 2, or a vertical position, see Figure 3, through which is passed the end of one of the fencing wires 10 and looped back through hole 9 and twisted as at 7 on the same wire; In another form of the invention two holes, 12, 13 in a vertical position,

see Figure 4, or in a horizontal position, see

Figure 5, are formed in the horizontal arm of the coupling member through which the end one of the wires 10 can be bent to hold without any looping.

In use the fencing wires 4 and 10 are strained in the usual way with a; strainer such as that shown at 14, see Figure 1. When using the type of coupling shown in Figure 5, an end of the fencing wire 10 is passed through the hole 13 of the couplin member and is then bent round and passed into hole 12. The wedge 5 is removed from the slotted hole 2 and the end of the wire 4 is passed through the hole 2. The wedge 5 is then driven into slotted hole 2 with the serrations 6 pressing the wire at resting in the V grip 3, and the greater the pull on the wires 4: and 10 the tighter will the serrations 6 grip the wire 4. The strainer 4 can then be detached.

v, If it is later desired to slacken ofi thefencing wires or to take up slack the strainer 1a is again applied to take the strain, wedge 5 is knocked out of coupling member 1, wire t is let out or taken up as desired and the wedge again driven in and the strainer 14; again detached.

Two coupling members with a wedge in each or one coupling member with two wedges may be used so as to dispense with looping orbending an end of one of the wires.

In order to provide for slackening a wire a spare portion 15 of the wire may be left to project through the coupling member.

Claims:

1.1K coupling for the ends of strained fencing wires, ci'imprising a member having arms disposed at right angles to one another, one of said arms having a hole to receive one of said ends slid-ably therethrongh, and means for wedgin said end in said hole.

2. A. coupling for the ends of strained fencing wires, comprising a member having arms disposed at right angles to one another, one of said arms having a hole substantially parallel to the other arm to receive one of said ends slidably therethrongh, the other of said arms having at least one opening whei ethrongh the other of said ends may be passed and bent to secure it to the member, and a wedge element insertable into said hole tor wedgin said first named end therein.

3. A coupling for the ends of strained fencing wires, comprising a member having arms disposed at right angles to one another, one of said arms having a hole with a longitudinal notch in one wall thereof and adapted to receive one of said ends slidably therethrongh, the other of said arms having at least one opening wherethrongh the other of said ends may be passed and bent to secure it to the member, and means insertable into said hole for wedging said first named end into said notch.

at. A coupling for the ends of strained fencing wires, comprising a member having a hole to receive one of said ends slidably therethrough, said member having also a pair of openings wherethrough the other of said ends may be passed and bent without looping to secure it to the member, and means for wedging said first named end in said hole.

In testimony whereof they have signed their names to this specification.

HENRY ALBERT SYMES. VINCENT GABRIEL SYMES. 

